Abstract. Tropical cyclones (TCs) actively contribute to the dynamics of Earth's
coupled climate system. They influence oceanic mixing rates, upper-ocean
heat content, and air–sea fluxes, with implications for atmosphere and ocean
dynamics on multiple spatial and temporal scales. Using an ocean general
circulation model with modified surface wind forcing, we explore how TC
winds can excite equatorial ocean waves in the tropical Pacific. We
highlight a situation where three successive TCs in the western North
Pacific region, corresponding to events in 2003, excite a combination of
Kelvin and Yanai waves in the equatorial Pacific. The resultant thermocline
adjustment significantly modifies the thermal structure of the upper
equatorial Pacific and leads to eastward zonal heat transport. Observations
of upper-ocean temperature by the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) buoy array
and sea-level height anomalies using altimetry reveal wave passage during
the same time period with similar properties to the modeled wave, although
our idealized model methodology disallows precise identification of the TC
forcing with the observed waves. Results indicate that direct oceanographic
forcing by TCs may be important for understanding the spectrum of equatorial
ocean waves, thus remotely influencing tropical mixing and surface energy
budgets. Because equatorial Kelvin waves are closely linked to interannual
variability in the tropical Pacific, these findings also suggest TC wind
forcing may influence the timing and amplitude of El Niño events.